Two places to stop and sleep from Santa Monica to San Francisco?

What 2 places would you suggest two 60 year old travelers stop for over nights on a drive from Santa Monica to SF- first time visitors-moderate budget (under $300 per night). Spending 4 days in Santa Monica-2 days drive-3 days in SF.

I would suggest only stopping one place as the drive isn't that long even if you follow the Pacific Coast Hwy the entire way.

Also, if you are saying you are driving 2 days, it would seem to me that that would mean you would only need one night stay i.e. Santa Monica -> (drive day) -> Stop overnight -> (drive day) arrive at night in San Fran.

As for where to stay, you must go to Carmel. It is an amazing little town, with wonderful scenery.

When you are leaving Santa Monica and heading toward Carmel, I would suggest taking I-5 North for a decent ways before cutting over to the PCH. Check out this map as a general route guide: http://tinyurl.com/pyvohla

Comments (1)

Thanks for the suggestions, Marie :) I've helped you highlight the places in your answer on a map! In the future, you can do this yourself as you answer a question by simply typing the @-symbol followed by the name of the place. Take a look at your map next to your answer :) ·
·
(0likelikes)

Oh my. Do NOT take Highway 5! How dreadful, boring, out of the way. All of the other suggestions have been great, it simply depends on what you want to see and do. Carmel is charming, but Monterey is more active is your want a bit more sightseeing and history. Other than that, just pick a beach and enjoy!

As other people who replied I suggest taking the Pacific Coast Highway up to San Francisco, as it's more scenic! For first stop/sleep I suggest the San Luis Obispo area. My friends and I spent the night at Cayucos and more specifically at the Cayucos Beach Inn. I think we spent around $150 for a 4 person room (but hey that was back in March). Morro Bay also has many options for accomodation.

The next stop/sleep should be at Carmel, as it's going to take you a while to get from San Luis Obispo to Carmel. This is the most interesting part of the Pacific Coast Highway. You can stop at Hearst Castle, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (Mc Way Falls) and of course Big Sur. Arrive in early evening in Carmel, have dinner, spend the night there and then drive up to SF. I don't have suggestions for Carmel as we did the Cayucos-SF trip in one go without spending the night somewhere.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park along Highway 1 near Big Sur is amazing! The 80-foot waterfall is the main attraction that drops from granite cliffs into the Pacific Ocean from the Overlook Trail. The walking trail is very easy and short (under 1/2 a mile).

From there, go north, and stop in Carmel. Great food and drink play a large role in the culture of Carmel-by-the-Sea (commonly referred to simply as Carmel) owing to its local wineries, gourmet markets and diverse array of restaurants. The shining gem of Carmel is the 400-acre Point Lobos, a large expanse of natural untouched beauty encompassing rocky coasts, sandy beaches and blue lagoons, all of which 200 different animal species and 300 types of plants call home. Many artists use this inspirational location as a workplace, and as a result you can see the work of painters, sculptors, writers and photographers dotted throughout the city.

I highly recommend you drive Route 1 all the way. As you leave Santa Monica, the stretch of Route 1 going north to Carpinteria and Ventura is beautiful. By all means stop at Santa Barbara which has a walkable downtown. Spend the night in Morro Bay, scenic, good restaurants, affordable hotel rates.

As you continue up Hwy 1., you will pass Santa CruzHalf Moon Bayand Pacifica. At Pacifica take Sharp Park Rd to connect to Hwy 280 into San Francisco. This will bring you into the city on 19th Ave, and then you can head over to your hotel.

If you are tired of driving the coast road before then, you can take Hwy 17 from Santa Cruz to 280, or Hwy 92 from Half Moon Bay to 280.

Check out the Madonna Inn Resort & Spa as a place to stop off your fist night if you want something cool and unique past Santa Barbara but before Morro Bay. It is also before Paso Robles which has some good wineries if you want to go wine tasting along the way (drive safe!). The next night could be spent in Big Sur, Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay but unfortunately I don't have any specific hotels to mention in those destinations.